How to make perfect hash browns

Morning Glory

Morning Glory

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Well, I'm not an expert at all at making hash browns, so I'm asking for your methods:
  • Do you use raw grated potato or do you par cook the potato first before grating/shredding?
  • What kind of potatoes - waxy or floury?
  • Do you add any other ingredients: flour and/or egg to bind, onion etc.?
  • How do you cook them? In a frying pan or in the oven or any other method?
And finally, is their a difference between a potato rosti and a hash brown?
 
We prefer to use russet potatoes for hash browns. Peeled, grated and soaked to remove starch. I like thin sliced onions in mine. Pan fried until GBD. I like them small. Rosti seems to be a large cake done in a skillet, possibly done in the oven. Not sure if it gets flipped. I don't use a binder, just let them cook on one side and flip.
 
I've cooked them every which way, but my preferred method of late is to use...the waffle iron.

I use either russets or Yukon golds, and sometimes I'll go deluxe with the spices (chili powder, garlic powder, paprika, etc) and sometimes, it's just salt and pepper.

I'll shred them, squeeze the living sh!t out of them to get them as dry as possible, then season, then toss in olive oil. Then I'll spray the preheated waffle iron, plop in the potatoes, and about 15 minutes later:


Waffle Iron Hash Brown Breakfast 1

Waffle Iron Hash Brown Breakfast 1

Waffle iron hash browns, egg, English muffins, bacon

Waffle Iron Hash Browns Breakfast 2

Waffle Iron Hash Browns Breakfast 2

Waffle iron hash browns and egg
 
morning glory said:
This look gorgeous. So 15 mins in the waffle iron. How long to cook in a frying pan?
Click to expand...
I think it's about the same, though you have to flip them; seven or eight minutes a side.

One crucial thing I forgot to add...if you're using fresh potatoes...shred them and then rinse, rinse, and rinse some more. That water has to run clear or you'll get greyish gummy taters, whatever your method.

I went on a hash brown sabbatical a couple of years ago, and there's definitely some technique involved. Like a lot of things, it's more than just heating some fat and tossing in some potatoes. They've got to be dry, they've got to be rinsed, temp too hot they'll burn, too low they'll soak up the grease.

When I found the waffle iron method, I was skeptical, but it worked perfectly. Crispy as glass on the outside, creamy in the middle, not too greasy, not burned. They were just lovely. It also works well with frozen ones, though I can't remember if I thawed them overnight or not.

You can also shred the potatoes the night before and cover them in water and set them in the fridge. In the morning, the water will be this nasty grey brackish looking stuff, but drain and one quick rinse, and your taters will be pristine and glowing white, like a supermodel's teeth. 👄
 
TastyReuben said:
if you're using fresh potatoes...shred them and then rinse, rinse, and rinse some more. That water has to run clear or you'll get greyish gummy taters, whatever your method.
Click to expand...

I've looked at lots of recipe which don't include rinsing them but only squeezing them until dry, once shredded. If I get the time I'll try both ways. What do you mean by 'fresh potatoes' - what other sort could I use? Sorry if I'm being thick.
 
TastyReuben said:
I've cooked them every which way, but my preferred method of late is to use...the waffle iron.

I use either russets or Yukon golds, and sometimes I'll go deluxe with the spices (chili powder, garlic powder, paprika, etc) and sometimes, it's just salt and pepper.

I'll shred them, squeeze the living sh!t out of them to get them as dry as possible, then season, then toss in olive oil. Then I'll spray the preheated waffle iron, plop in the potatoes, and about 15 minutes later:


Waffle Iron Hash Brown Breakfast 1

Waffle Iron Hash Brown Breakfast 1

Waffle iron hash browns, egg, English muffins, bacon

Waffle Iron Hash Browns Breakfast 2

Waffle Iron Hash Browns Breakfast 2

Waffle iron hash browns and egg
Click to expand...

Thanks, I'm trying this

Russ
 
OK, dodgy question, are hash browns just Rosti repackaged by Americans?
Also, I went to Switzerland a few years ago and had some wonderful rosti. When I came back I decided to Google recipes... what a minefield, I had no idea how deep passionate arguments between Northern Europeans could rage about the correct way to prepare a simple potato dish.
For that reason, I am out.
 
The Velvet Curtain said:
OK, dodgy question, are hash browns just Rosti repackaged by Americans?
Also, I went to Switzerland a few years ago and had some wonderful rosti. When I came back I decided to Google recipes... what a minefield, I had no idea how deep passionate arguments between Northern Europeans could rage about the correct way to prepare a simple potato dish.
For that reason, I am out.
Click to expand...

Kinda like pineapple and pizza huh? :)

Russ
 
morning glory said:
Well, I'm not an expert at all at making hash browns, so I'm asking for your methods:
  • Do you use raw grated potato or do you par cook the potato first before grating/shredding?
  • What kind of potatoes - waxy or floury?
  • Do you add any other ingredients: flour and/or egg to bind, onion etc.?
  • How do you cook them? In a frying pan or in the oven or any other method?
And finally, is their a difference between a potato rosti and a hash brown?
Click to expand...

Use a starchy potato, not waxy. If you use fresh grated potatoes, soak them in cold water, then use a tea towel to squeeze every drop of water you can out of them. I never ad anything but seasonings, and you can use whatever seasonings you like. I always use a cast iron skillet, and a dollop of butter to pan fry hash browns. I get the butter melted, dump on the hash browns, then flatten them out some -- maybe a 10-15mm layer. You want them to cook through before burning.

BTW, to be honest, I often use Ore-ida frozen hash brown grated potatoes. It's easy, and they are good.

CD
 
Last edited:
The Velvet Curtain said:
OK, dodgy question, are hash browns just Rosti repackaged by Americans?
Also, I went to Switzerland a few years ago and had some wonderful rosti. When I came back I decided to Google recipes... what a minefield, I had no idea how deep passionate arguments between Northern Europeans could rage about the correct way to prepare a simple potato dish.
For that reason, I am out.
Click to expand...

I would answer, if I knew what a rosti is.

CD
 
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